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In a startling development, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Christie Stanley has chosen not to seek re-election in 2010. The decision comes just days after Senior Deputy District Attorney Joyce Dudley held a press conference announcing her intention to seek the position and weeks after Stanley affirmed she planned to run.

Instead, Stanley will be endorsing Chief Trial Deputy Joshua Lynn for the position, she announced Monday morning.

Two weeks prior, Lynn told The Independent that he had no intention to run for the seat at the time. “My boss is running so I have no interest,” he said. “If something changes, it changes.”

It did change for Stanley, who has battled lung cancer for much of her time in office, making many question whether she is fit for office. Despite missing much time in recent years, her health seemed to be improving, and she expressed confidence in her ability to do her job. Even when absent physically, she said, she was in constant communication with her office, and making the decisions for the office. “I think I’m the best person to do the job,” she said.

But in a press release sent out Monday, Stanley said, “[M]any considerations led me to the opposite decision. A key factor in my decision is a desire to singularly focus my attention and effort on the fight for public safety in our communities. The battle to keep unreasonable and unfair budget reductions from undermining our public safety mission was also a critical consideration. I will focus all of my energy toward addressing these crucial areas.”

Had Stanley remained in the race, it would’ve been the first time since 1855 - when elections were first held for District Attorney - that an incumbent faced a challenger from within the DA’s office.

Paul Wellman (file)

Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Josh Lynn

Most recently Lynn secured a plea bargain from Leianna Arzate - a 33-year-old woman who kidnapped an hours-old child from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital - that will put her behind bars for 11 years.

This summer Lynn successfully prosecuted Jesse James Hollywood. The jury that found Hollywood guilty of first degree murder and kidnapping recommended life in prison without parole for the 29-year-old. The case had many complexities, not the least of which being that the crime happened nine years ago.

Stanley succeeded longtime DA Tom Sneddon in 2006, gaining nearly 70 percent of the vote. A phone message left with Stanley’s secretary Friday morning was not returned. She has not returned several messages in the last week. Lynn also didn’t return a call.

Lynn, who was born and raised in Santa Barbara, began as a prosecutor with the DA’s office in 1996. He currently supervises approximately 25 attorneys in the office’s criminal operations. He has shown a quick temper in court, most recently at the Hollywood trial, when he would often make sarcastic quips or retorts to comments from the defense. But he got the conviction in the highly publicized case. Stanley put Lynn on the case out of an abundance of caution, removing Senior Deputy DA Ron Zonen. Zonen had given case files to moviemakers in Hollywood, which aided in the production of the movie Alpha Dog. The defense argued that Zonen should be taken off the case, but the California Supreme Court ruled he did not. So Lynn stepped in more than a half-decade after the crime was committed and successfully prosecuted Hollywood, who will be sentenced in October.

Dudley, meanwhile, has been with the DA’s office since 1990, and has been named Deputy District Attorney of the Year three times in her career. She kicked her campaign off Tuesday with an enthusiastic group of nearly 100 supporters in front of the County Courthouse. She pledged to bring back the department’s truancy program, create an arson unit, and focus on violent crimes when she is DA.

She most recently successfully prosecuted Peter Jeschke, a former girl’s tennis coach at Santa Barbara High, who had sex with one of his players. A jury found him guilty of seven of the 11 counts he was charged with and not guilty of two. He was convicted of all of the sex crime charges, which included sexual penetration by a foreign object with a minor, three counts of oral copulation with a minor, and two counts of sex with a minor more than three years younger than himself.

The revelation adds to the complexion of an election still 10 months away. It also means that more from within the office could enter the race. Senior Deputy DA Gordon Auchincloss is one of the names still being thrown out by people in legal circles. He told The Independent on Wednesday, “It’s certainly something I’ve thought about, but I haven’t made any decisions at this time.”

Comments

I commend Miss Stanley for deciding not to seek reelection. Her health concerns, while very sad and tragic, are too great for voters to overlook in regard to her ability to effectively govern and execute her office. I wish her a complete recovery and thank her for the service to our community. Had it not been for her unfortunate condition I am confident she would have been the leader and presence we all expected when we elected her to this office. By deciding not to run for reelection she has, in my opinion, shown the leadership that we all knew she had when we elected her. Thank you again Christie for your service.

Go Joyce! I had an issue last year that required I contact a DA and somehow I got her cell phone number. Instead of being put out or upset that I got ahold of her, she took time to talk to me and reassure me and told me that if I needed her in the future that I could contact her directly. That personal attention was very special and I'll vote for her because she didn't act like her time was too important to speak to me. Go Joyce! :)

Mrs. Stanley is an honorable woman deserving of great respect as well as compassion. She has served this county well for many years, and I am certain she is admired and appreciated by her staff, quite likely including those who challenge her.

I have no doubt that Ms. Dudley is looking out for the best interests of the office, as would Mr. Lynn, Mr. Auchincloss or any other staff member who might choose to run. They are all talented, hard-working and extremely dedicated people who remain grounded in perspective and are admired by their co-workers and community. How fortunate we are to have so many able individuals willing to step up to a position where there is so much conflict, and that's not even counting what goes on INSIDE the courtroom....

It would be refreshing if the local print media would represent the situation as politics and news as opposed to fodder one could find at the checkout stand or in the Enquirer....

A little fairness and insight in the reporting would be greatly appreciated. If we want high drama, we'll read about OctoMom or some other tabloid trash stories. As it stands right now, we get what we pay for here. Wise up and do some straight reporting please. The community would appreciate learning about the issues involved as opposed to the manufactured dirt that makes for 'sexy' reading.....

A quick check of the California Bar Association website will tell you that Ms. Dudley has only been an attorney since 1990, so if she has been at the DA's office since 1980, it has only been since 1990 as an attorney.

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The date of Joyce Dudley's first year in the D.A.'s office has been corrected to 1990.

I am curious as to why Mr. Lynn initially told the Independent that since his boss is running for reelection, he would not. Is loyalty to a specific person more important than the effective execution and governance of a crucial public law enforcement office? It appears that it is to him. I perceive this as a lack of judgment and correct priority. Why does he prioritize his loyalty to his "boss" more important than the office of Santa Barbara County District Attorney? I think that Ms Dudley's decision to run against a sitting DA implies that her priorities are that of Santa Barbara County first and internal politics and "loyalty" second. Any other thoughts on this observation?

SBrocks --------So what's your problem ? This means she has been an Attorney for almost 20 years. We have been stuck with green teachers straight out of college mangling our children's brains with their crazy modern ideas! On the other hand some of the fledgling M,D.'s wandering red eyed in the emergency rooms have been totally compassionate,attentive and efficient. Experience in years means nothing when you have seen some attorneys in action, those who can rack up the years, They can be real nightmares in action. Enough to keep you praying you don't ever end up with one of those dufuses. Give Stanley a break.

SBRocks, you are correct about Dudley. She has been with the office since 1990, not 1980. Not sure if it was a slip of the finger or if I confused the figure with that of Stanley, who has been here since 1980. Regardless, I apologize for the mishap.

Well, all I can say is---- if Sneddon supports Josh Lynn, even more reason to root for Dudley.Sneddon represents the old, insular culture of the office. Similar to Josh Lynn seeing loyalty to his tragically absent boss over loyalty to public service and public safety--both of which have suffered during these past three years.Time for truly new and dynamic leadership---- in the form of Joyce Dudley

Regarding cattleman36's second post, I have to agree. In the shark tank that is Santa Barbara County's leadership pool, it take a lot of guts to rise and challenge anyone higher in the chain of command, especially when done in the best interests of the public. However, those who oppose someone who makes such a challenge usually enjoy the covert encouragement and support of the highest-swimming bull sharks.

The truth will come out. As a defense attorney who normally is fighting against all prosecutors, I know that Dudley has serious ethical issues. Win at all cost at the expense of justice best describes her. It doesn't matter if you believe me because the press will show this to be true. Please Chris Meagher, do your job and research the numorous cases of prosecutorial misconduct that have resulted in reversals of conviction that Dudley has. Heck, ask her about those cases, she should remember them. The language used by the appellate court, against her, and her ethics, is sobering.

IMO - This DAs "impaired judgment(s)" - e.g. (1) attacking a returning Iraq War veteran - in court - and on record who had been already diagnosed with PTSD; then (2) removing a magistrate from the bench in that case -- solely because the judge "was a veteran": - leave her TOTALLY suspect for qualifications in continuation at office "at the pleasure" of local citizens and legal colleagues. What haven't the SB County Bar and the CA State Bar ALREADY begun her disbarrment proceedings by now? Answer = The Lawyers' benevolent & protective association, whose actions not one - as in no - investigative journalist will every learn about. So - WHY, indeed?

I have no agenda other than to see reporting of the political process to be as fair and accurate as possible, without using personal issues involving the candidates to drum up drama for the readers.

Trying to whip people up by making it sound as if there is great animosity and conflict within the DA's office is purely for show and drama. Mrs. Stanley's health is no longer an issue in this election, so what will there be to talk about?

And frankly, if we can't get people to take on the idiots running the federal govt, why the hell are you so wound up about one stupid county department?